Girlfriend accused of supplying guns used in robbery, 17-hour Latrobe standoff held for trial

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The girlfriend of a Latrobe man killed after an hours-long standoff with Pennsylvania State Police in July was held for court today on theft, conspiracy and related charges.

Julian Upholster, 25, of Latrobe, is accused of stealing guns from her roommate and giving them to Scott Murphy, who kept tactical officers at bay across nearly 17 hours before he opened fire, injuring one trooper, state police said

In a preliminary hearing today before District Judge Michael R. Mahady, Upholster was held on all charges in two related cases: robbery, two counts of conspiracy to commit robbery and receiving stolen property in one case, and theft, receiving stolen property and firearms violations in the other.

State police said she told investigators she stole the two guns, an AR-15 rifle and a Ruger .360 handgun, from her roommate July 17 and took them to Murphy's home.

The rifle was to go target shooting with Murphy and his children, she told state police, and the handgun for Murphy to use in a pharmacy robbery, according to a criminal complaint.

Her attorney, Michael D. Ferguson, said she did not anticipate why Murphy wanted the guns.

"She denies being aware that Murphy intended to rob the pharmacy," he said.

He said that the owner of the guns and well as a Latrobe police officer, a state trooper, an employee at the pharmacy and a customer there witness all testified today for the prosecution.

Upholster pleaded guilty to robbery in 2008 and was not permitted to have guns, police said.

Just one day after she gave him the guns, Murphy, 46, held up the Precision Care Pharmacy in Latrobe with one of the guns and stole several hundred Oxycontin pills, some of which the pair shared before Latrobe officers arrived that evening to question him, state police said.

The next day, after the standoff, he was shot several times, though is it still unclear whether he killed himself or a trooper's bullet was the fatal shot.

Trooper Brian King, a Special Emergency Response Team member and veteran of the Belle Vernon barracks, was shot likely twice and had surgery in July for an eye injury.